Kaera
Kaera hated missions that sounded too simple. Those were always the ones that fell apart the fastest.
She stood at the edge of the rooftop, watching the narrow street below while Lio crouched nearby, already bored out of his mind.
"Tell me that's not it," he muttered. "A girl in a dead-end alley? That's what we're getting paid for?"
Kaera didn't answer immediately. Her eyes stayed on the scene. A man had the girl cornered, a blade pressed to her throat. At first glance, nothing unusual.
"For now, yes," she said at last.
Lio sighed.
"I love jobs like this. We watch, we don't interfere, and then we go home like nothing happened."
"That's exactly what we're doing."
Then the man moved.
The girl reacted.
And Kaera immediately knew something was wrong.
The movement wasn't clean. It wasn't trained. But it wasn't clumsy either. It was too precise, like it didn't belong to her.
Kaera leaned forward slightly.
"You saw that?"
"I saw it," Lio said quietly. "That's… not normal."
"I know."
The girl struck back with a simple stone, but the hit was perfect. The man collapsed, and that was enough to confirm it.
"That wasn't hers," Kaera said under her breath.
"Then whose was it?"
"I don't know."
And that was the problem.
That's when the soldiers appeared. They weren't loud, and they weren't rushing, but something about them was immediately off. Too organized. Too controlled.
Kaera's expression hardened.
"This isn't observation anymore."
"Then what is it?"
"Hunting."
The soldiers sealed off the street quickly. The girl was trapped. Dead end.
A brief silence settled between them.
"Don't say anything," Kaera said.
"I'm not saying anything."
"I can see you're about to."
"I'm not saying anything."
A few seconds passed.
"You're going to save her, aren't you?"
Kaera exhaled slowly.
"No."
Lio nodded.
"Good." Another pause."…then I'll go ahead."
Kaera finally glanced at him.
"The usual place?"
"Yeah."
"And you?"
"I'll bring her."
Lio grinned.
"Hope she's worth it."
"We'll see."
He stood up and disappeared across the rooftops without another word. Kaera was alone.
Below, the girl tried to break through, but she didn't stand a chance. Too many of them. Too coordinated. Kaera watched for a moment longer.
"Not my problem," she muttered. Then she closed her eyes briefly."…damn it." She moved.
Fast. Precise. Every step calculated as she crossed the rooftops. She didn't overthink it. She didn't need to.
Timing was all that mattered.
When she reached the right position, she grabbed a discarded sword and threw it in one smooth motion.
The blade slammed into the ground between the soldiers.
"Now!"
She dropped.
A second later, she was beside the girl, grabbing her arm.
"If you stay, you die."
She didn't wait for a response. She pulled her forward.
They ran.
Kaera didn't look back, but she could hear them already. The soldiers moved instantly. No hesitation. That was the worst sign.
"Is this normal for you?!" the girl asked between breaths.
"No."
They cut through narrow alleys, turned corners, climbed over obstacles. Kaera knew exactly where she was going. This wasn't improvisation.
It was a route.
The meeting point.
The half-collapsed building they had used before.
"How much farther?!" the girl asked.
"As long as we're alive."
When they reached the door, Kaera pulled her inside and slammed it shut behind them. The air inside was stale and heavy.
For a moment, silence.
Then a voice from the shadows:
"You're late."
Kaera didn't react.
"Only a little."
Lio stepped out of the darkness, arms crossed.
"Hope you had a good reason."
"We'll see."
The sounds outside were getting closer. Fast.
Lio sighed.
"Alright, no more time."
The girl stepped back.
"What's happening?"
"We're leaving," Kaera said.
"How?"
Lio looked at them.
The air cracked.
Space itself seemed to shift, like everything slid out of place for a moment.
Then…
impact.
All three of them hit the ground.
Silence.
Kaera slowly pushed herself up and looked around. They weren't in the same place anymore. That was good. The smell wasn't.
"Lio…"
"Yeah?"
"This isn't the right place."
Lio grinned.
"I know."
"Then why are we here?"
"Because I'm still learning."
The girl was still on the ground, completely disoriented.
"Is it… always like this?"
Kaera exhaled.
"It is now."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Kaera looked at her properly for the first time.
"So…" she said slowly, "who exactly did I just save?"
The girl sat up.
But she still didn't answer.
And Kaera didn't like that at all.